Gauge for boot and shoe machines



Jan. 12,1926. '-.'1.,se9,s92

G. E. TURNER GAUGE FOR BOOT AND SHOE MACHINES, 7

Filed Feb. 14 192g. 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENI D'I I Jan. 12 1926: I (1,569,592

' I G.E.TURNER GAUGE FOR BOOT AND SHOE MACHINES Filed Feb. 14. 1921 2 shees sha9z 2,

E9 INVEMUY'E Q W MM Patented. Jan. 12, 1926,

GERALD n. TURNER, or LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, AssIGNoN o A. E. LITTLE com PA Y, or LYNN, raassacr nsa rrs, a conroaarro'n or MAssAcrrUsE'rTs.

GAUGE r03 BOOT AND SHOE MAcnINEs;

'Application filed February 14, 1921. SeriaLNo. 444,714.

To all whom may concern:

Be it known that I, GERALD E. TnRNER, a citizen of the United States, reslding at Lynn, county of Essex, Commonwealth of into the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to a gauge for use on "boot and shoe machlnes. 'Wl'lllG the gauge embodying my -1nvent1on 1S capable of use on a varietyof machines which perform operations along'the edge of the sole, I have.

shown my invention in the, accompanying drawings as forming .part of a heel nailing machine or so-called loose nailer because I have put the invention into actual PIHC? tice in connection with machines of this type. 'I .do not, however, intend to limit myself to use in this combination, as it "will be-obvious-that it iscapab-leof successful use in 'connection'with m'achines that perform other operations on; boots andshoe's, asfor instance, stitching, rough-rounding, and the "Heretofore .great difficulty has been experienced with loosenailing machines with these gauges commonly called counter gauges, owing to the fact that it is necessary' to setthe gauge in position to place the nails correctly. at the back of the shoe. This is necessary because the shoe is shaved ofi there. at the greatest angle to conform to the shape ofthe heel at this point. The

gauge therefore has to beset back a consid era'ole distance from the counter at this point with the result that when the sides of the shoe are presentedto the machine, the nails will be set too far in fromthe edge of the sole and it is found that when the nailing is completed, the nails forms aV-shaped figure and not a U-shaped figure the line of which follows around the edge of the sole at a substantially uniform distance from it; This is a erious defect in the shoe, because the counter issecured to the outsole only at the I extreme inside edge of the inturned flange of the counter, thus permitting the crease between the counter-and the outsole to open. Furthermore, with the old-fashioned counter gauge, a high degree of skill is required of the W01 kmen since the shoe c ta s Wi h h gauge at one point only. Incorrectpresentation of the shoe to the machine is thereprevented fore easily possible and. can be only by the skill of the operator.

s PATENT oFF cs. f l

In the gauge embodying myinvention, I

provide a pair of contact members which are preferably'but not necessarily in the form of freely rotatable disks, the edges of which are adaptedto enter. the crease between the outsole and the upper, said disks being mounted on opposite sides of-a line which'is normal to the edge of the shoe and which passes throngh"the point ofoperation of the working. instrumentalities off the, .ma-

chine. The shoe, therefore, 'contacts with the gauge at two quite widely separated points instead of one pointas heretofore and, therefore, its position with relation to the working instrumentalities ofthe machine is fixed andnot dependent upon the skill of the operator. In other words, the work is accurately guided during its passage bythe working instrumentalities and not merely limited. as. to its movement with respect thereto in one direction. Onthe sideof the shoe where the crease is practically straight, the point of operation'of" the working instrumentalities will be brought relatively close tothe. edge of the shoe while at the heel where the crease oft'he shoe is curved sharp lyin plan View, the point of operation of the working'instrumentalities will be furtherfrom the edge of the shoe since the shoe is.

permitted by the curvature of the heel portion toenter-th'e space between the two disks. To improve the operation still further and prevent the operator from forcing the shoe away, the support on which the disksare mounted ispivoted on an axis parallel to the axesof'rotation of the disks and consequently. perpendicular to the plane in which the work is guided, thus permitting the bodily angular displacement of thegau e in said plane, said displacement being llmited by means which will be described.

This arrangement makes the work of feeding the shoe to'the nailing mechanism easier and one which requires less skill and strength on the part of the operator. By this arrangement it iseasier for the operator to keep the shoe in contact with both wheels instead of allowing the shoe to ride on one wheel as q is. likely to "occur withofit' 'the turned flanges of the counter and at substantially uniform distance from the edge of the insole, thereby producing a much stronger and more durable shoe than here tofore. The gauge embodying' my invention is not substantially more expensive'than the gauge as heretofore constructed.

The invention Wlll' be fully understood from the following description when. taken in connection with the accompanying drawtion of a loose nailer to which is applied the ings, and thenovel features thereof will be pointed out and clearly defined in the claims at the close of this specification."

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a front elevagauge embodying my invention.

Fig, 2 1s a side elevation of the gauge, a

portion of a shoe being shownin connection therewith.

1 Figs; 3, 1, '5 and 6 are top plan views of the gauge showing foursuccessrve positlons of the parts innailing around the heel of the shoe; i y i Referring now to the drawings, at 111s shown the guard plate, at 12 the throat, at

18 the awl, at 14 the awl bar, at 15 the driver and at 16 the driver guide of a loose nailer of ordinary construction. These parts being old and well known and forming no part of my invention will not be described in "detail.

At 17 is shown a bracket on the underside of the guard plate 11. To thisbracket is pivoted at 18 the counter gauge arm 19 having a tail a which extends rearwardly, Through a holein this tail passes a stud-20 secured to the underside of the guard plate 11, there being a spring 21 between the guard plate and the tail of the counter gauge arm.

The tension. on the spring is-adjustable by means of a thumb nut 22.

The forward extending end of the arm is provided with a substantially vertical pivot 23 to which is secured the support 24. The rear end of the support is forked, as shown at b and o in Figure 3, the prongs of the fork being downwardly extended on opposite sides of the counter gauge arm 19. This permits the support 2 1 to swing slightly about the pivot 23, butthe range of movement is limited by the prongs of the forkwhich strike the sides ofithe counter gauge arm 19. On the front end of thesupport 24 are pivoted at 27 and 28atwo freely rotatable gauge members: 25 and 26 which, in. the form shown in the drawings, are conveniently hard fibre wheels having edges m of a shape adapted to enter which passes through the point of operation h of the working instrumentalities upon the shoe and is normal to the edge of the shoe,

said line,in the construction shown, also passing through the axis of the pivot 23. The distance of the point of operation [1, shown in the drawings as a nail head is dependent upon the curvature of the portion of the edge of the shoelying between thetwo contact wheels, thus where the edge is prac tically straight, as shown in Figure 3, it willv be nearer the edge of the shoe than in the position shown in Figure 5 at the heel of the shoe where the curvature of the heel is considerable and enters the space between the contact members 25 and 26. r

The support 24 also swings slightly about the pivot 23, the movement being as great as is permitted by the forkat the rear end, and being substantially in, or parallel to, the plane in which the work is guided. Thus, in the construction shown, the work is guided for approximately horizontal movement, and the axis of, the pivotis approxi mately vertical, orsubstantially perpendicularto the plane of movement of the work, so that the swinging movement of the sup-' port is also approximately horizontal. This movement permits the gauge to adjust itself bodily and as a unit as the work progresses around the edge of the sole, keepingthe work against both disks and preventing the use of one disk alone. When the workisjin the prsition shown in-Figure 8, the support will be in about midposition, As" the heel isreached (see Figure 4) the support swings to the position shown, the prong b of the fork being in contactwiththeside of the arm 19. As the other corner of the heel is reached, the work support swings in the other position see Figure 5) and again resumo, its, mid positionwhen the other side of'the shoe isreached. i

It will be seen that the gauge or guide as a whole is substantiallyfixed against lateral movement, or movementin the direction in which the work is presented to'the machine, and that, the pivot 23 being located between the work engaging members and closely adjacent thereto, an inward movement of one of said-members is accompanied by a substantially equal outward movement of the other, so that while the limited swinging movement of the guide permits the edge of.

the work to be presented at somewhat vary ing angles, its distance from the working instrumentalities, as determined by its curvature, is not materially affected.

The gauge embodying my invention makes the work of presenting the shoe properly to the working instrumentalities practically automatic, since the gauge contacts with the line of curvature of the edge of the shoe at two points and thus guides the movement of the shoe and determines the position thereof in each of the successive positions which the shoe takes during the operation. l/Vith the old-fashioned gauge which contacted with the shoe at one point only, the position 1, A fixed work guide forboot and shoe machines comprisingtwo disks mounted to rotate freely upon spaced parallel axes and to be freely movable as a unit in a plan'esubstantially perpendicular to said axes.

2. A work guide for boot and shoe machines comprising two disks, a movable support on which said disks are mounted to I rotate freely, upon spaced parallel axes, and a fixed support on wh ch said movable support is mounted to have a limited movement parallel to said first named axes. 3. 'lhe improved gauge for boot and shoe as a unitabout a third axis substantially machines comprising a support, two freely 1 rotatable disks mounted on said support, a mounting for said support on which the support is pivoted to swing in a plane at a right angles to the axes of rotation of the disks and means for limiting the movement of the support on said pivot. I

In testimony'whereof I afiix my signature.

GERALD E. TURNER. 

